Rainbow Rewind 2023

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight

By Xtra Staff

Rainbow Rewind 2023

How the moral panic around ‘parental rights’ in Canada defined 2023

ANALYSIS: The fight to protect trans and gender-diverse kids is far from over

By Dale Smith

Justice

The legal case for teachers defying anti-trans laws

OPINION: A petition calling on teachers to violate Saskatchewan’s anti-trans Parents’ Bill of Rights could help the cause of striking it down

By Charlotte Sheasby

Politics

Canadian Conservative ties to Hungary and Orbán are cause for concern

OPINION: The Danube Institute treated a group of Conservatives to a lavish trip, part of what could be a slippery ideological slope

By Dale Smith

Activism

Roz Kaveney on a lifetime of fighting for trans rights

The writer, poet and anti-TERF activist reflects on half a century of fighting for trans rights

By Jude Ellison S. Doyle

Homelessness

As the homelessness crisis worsens, Gay Villages are caught at a crossroads of identity

ANALYSIS: Unhoused people are a part of our communities, so what can we do?

By Nour Abi-Nakhoul

Activism

Activists are teaming up to spotlight trans issues ahead of U.S. election

As anti-LGBTQ2S+ discrimination shakes the U.S. South, a non-profit and team of activists join together to bring visibility to trans lives in South Carolina

By Alina Kim

Activism

Yes, Palestinian solidarity is a queer issue

At protests across the country, queer and trans people are insisting that LGBTQ2S+ liberation and Palestinian liberation are intertwined

By Ziya Jones

Dangerous Space

Why queer and trans people need to resist pinkwashing

OPINION: Israel’s genocidal campaign is no victory for LGBTQ+ rights

By Kai Cheng Thom

Sexual Health

As a social worker, Saskatchewan’s new sex-ed policy terrifies me

OPINION: As an experienced sex educator and social worker, I know how challenging Saskatchewan’s new approach will be

By Natalya Mason

Politics

Alberta UCP shows how empowered the fringe right has become

OPINION: We need to organize so that fringe players and ideas don’t remain part of mainstream politics

By Dale Smith

Censorship

A Catholic school board in Ontario is accused of shadow banning LGBTQ2S+ books

“This is how homophobia works. It’s just plain and simple,” says Danny Ramadan, author of one of the targeted books

By Emma Bainbridge

Nightlife

Queer people of colour are still left out of Chicago’s queer neighbourhood

Local drag performers say the area mostly serves affluent white men

By Adam Rhodes

Activism

How activists in California are pushing back against anti-LGBTQ2S+ school policies

California is often viewed as an overwhelmingly progressive state—but the reality is much more complicated

By Catherine Caruso

Justice

Meet the lawyer leading the charge to protect trans kids’ rights in Saskatchewan

Genderqueer lawyer Cee Strauss says the legal fight against Scott Moe’s pronoun law is far from over

By Charlotte Sheasby

Trans Health

The ex-gay movement crawled so the detransition movement could run

OPINION: We’ve been here before. And history shows what might happen next

By Katelyn Burns

Dangerous Space

Trans kids are people, not property

OPINION: Conservative politicians across Canada have signalled their support for so-called “parental rights.” But children and youth have rights of their own

By Kai Cheng Thom

Environment

Disasters don’t discriminate against queer people—but disaster responses do

As natural disasters and social emergencies continue to rise, queer people are often left in vulnerable situations, with disaster response mostly prioritizing the needs of cis and heterosexual communities

By Eve Cable